Robbie Keane accused of 'shamelessly chasing shekels' for taking coaching job in Israel

But not all were happy with the move, with some BDS activists accusing the player of selling his soul "for a few shekels."

Dr. Brendan Ciaran Browne, an assistant professor at Trinity College, Dublin accused the former Ireland international of "shamelessly chasing the NIS."

In a tweet, he wrote: "You may shamelessly chase the NIS and break the call for #BDS

"We stand in solidarity with those who dream of playing in freedom & mourn those who never got the chance to live, let alone play."

The Maccabi Tel Aviv job is Keane's first as manager, and will see him take charge for the 2023-24 season which could see the club enter the Europa Conference league.

This is Keane's first job as manager of any club and his first job since serving as the assistant manager at Middlesborough in 2019.

The owner of the team, Canadian-born Mitch Goldhar, added: “Robbie brings the mentality, character, energy and focus of a winner, traits he exhibited everywhere he played. These characteristics now combined with ambitions to succeed as a coach are aligned with our objectives at Maccabi.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans showed their excitement on social media, with many tweeting messages of support to Keane and praising club bosses for landing the former star.

Dr Browne has been approached for comment.